Decorating Guides
Quick Fix: Protect Your Mirrors!
See how a common carpet protector can save your mirrors, too
If you're like me, you often decorate your home without thinking about later, when you might need to remove something. My walls are littered with nail holes, my doors will have holes from the coat hooks I screwed into them — and don't get me started on the mirror on my closet door.
Removing a wall mirror can be tricky. If you've applied anything sticky to keep it there, odds are you'll end up with a cracked or broken mirror from yanking it off the wall. I know this from experience.
Michelle Turner and Brian Rigney of By Design Custom Remodeling in Maui, Hawaii suggested this clever trick to keep your looking glass intact through a move.
Removing a wall mirror can be tricky. If you've applied anything sticky to keep it there, odds are you'll end up with a cracked or broken mirror from yanking it off the wall. I know this from experience.
Michelle Turner and Brian Rigney of By Design Custom Remodeling in Maui, Hawaii suggested this clever trick to keep your looking glass intact through a move.
PLASTICOVER Carpet Film
Simply take a pair of heavy-duty scissors and cut out a piece of self-adhesive carpet protector to the size of the backing of the mirror you're installing onto the wall. This thick plastic will reduce breakage when you're trying to remove the mirror later.
Keep some around for your carpets, too
"Carpet protector is a great product in general, which we use pretty frequently," says Turner. "It's much better for protecting carpets than a tarp, as it blocks dust and spills." Just be careful not to leave an adhesive carpet protector on your rug for too long to avoid any sticky residue (check the package for the time rating).
More: 12 Creative Ways with Mirrors
Quick Fix: Multipurpose Painter's Tape
Quick Fix: Easy Toe-Kick Lighting
Keep some around for your carpets, too
"Carpet protector is a great product in general, which we use pretty frequently," says Turner. "It's much better for protecting carpets than a tarp, as it blocks dust and spills." Just be careful not to leave an adhesive carpet protector on your rug for too long to avoid any sticky residue (check the package for the time rating).
More: 12 Creative Ways with Mirrors
Quick Fix: Multipurpose Painter's Tape
Quick Fix: Easy Toe-Kick Lighting
This sticky plastic film is usually used to keep carpeting clean and damage free during a remodel, paint job, or to protect areas with particularly heavy traffic. It's extremely durable but also easy to apply and cut to size.